Studio Album · No. 10
Let It Be Songwriting Credits by The Beatles
Produced by George Martin, Phil Spector · Engineered by Glyn Johns (mixing)
Holds writing credit on 11 of 12 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 11 / 12 documented
Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether The Beatles carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Awards & Recognition 1
Originally the "Get Back" project, recorded in January 1969 to document the band playing live in the studio without overdubs. George Martin produced the original sessions, but Glyn Johns made three unsuccessful attempts to mix them into a releasable album. Phil Spector was then handed the tapes; his orchestral overdubs on "The Long and Winding Road" and "Across the Universe" infuriated McCartney, who spent years seeking a release without Spector's additions (eventually released as Let It Be... Naked in 2003). All three singles, "Get Back," "Let It Be," and "The Long and Winding Road", reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Let It Be is the twelfth and final studio album by The Beatles, released in May 1970 on Apple Records, four weeks after McCartney's public announcement of his departure from the group, and compiled from sessions recorded in January 1969 that were intended to document the band returning to a live, improvisational approach after the studio complexity of the White Album and Abbey Road. The production credit became one of the most contentious disputes in rock history: Phil Spector was brought in by Lennon and Klein to apply orchestral overdubs to the rough recordings, producing a final mix that McCartney publicly disavowed; he later reclaimed the original sessions in the 2003 stripped-down release Let It Be... Naked and the 2024 box set. Lennon contributed 'Across the Universe' (featuring the spoken phrase 'Jai guru deva om' over an Indian-influenced drone), 'Dig a Pony,' and 'One After 909'; McCartney contributed the title track, 'The Long and Winding Road,' and 'Get Back'; Harrison provided 'I Me Mine' and 'For You Blue,' his most extensive contribution to any Beatles album since the White Album. The sessions also captured the final public performance of The Beatles, on the rooftop of the Apple Corps building on January 30, 1969, preserved in the 2021 Peter Jackson documentary Get Back. Let It Be is simultaneously a historical document of a disintegrating band and a collection of genuinely beautiful music made in spite of that disintegration.
Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Two of Us
|
John LennonPaul McCartney | John LennonPaul McCartney | George MartinPhil Spector | Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals)John Lennon (Harmony Vocals) |
| 2 |
Dig a Pony
|
John LennonPaul McCartney | John LennonPaul McCartney | George MartinPhil Spector | John Lennon (Lead Vocals) |
| 3 |
Across the Universe
|
John LennonPaul McCartney | John LennonPaul McCartney | George MartinPhil Spector | John Lennon (Lead Vocals) |
| 4 |
I Me Mine
|
George Harrison | George Harrison | George MartinPhil Spector | George Harrison (Lead Vocals) |
| 5 |
Dig It
|
John LennonPaul McCartneyGeorge HarrisonRichard Starkey | John LennonPaul McCartneyGeorge HarrisonRichard Starkey | George MartinPhil Spector | John Lennon (Lead Vocals) |
| 6 |
Let It Be
#1
|
John LennonPaul McCartney | John LennonPaul McCartney | George MartinPhil Spector | Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals) |
| 7 |
Maggie Mae
|
Traditional | Traditional | George MartinPhil Spector | John Lennon (Lead Vocals)Paul McCartney (Harmony Vocals) |
| 8 |
I've Got a Feeling
|
John LennonPaul McCartney | John LennonPaul McCartney | George MartinPhil Spector | Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals)John Lennon (Harmony Vocals) |
| 9 |
One After 909
|
John LennonPaul McCartney | John LennonPaul McCartney | George MartinPhil Spector | John Lennon (Lead Vocals)Paul McCartney (Harmony Vocals) |
| 10 |
The Long and Winding Road
#1
|
John LennonPaul McCartney | John LennonPaul McCartney | George MartinPhil Spector | Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals) |
| 11 |
For You Blue
|
George Harrison | George Harrison | George MartinPhil Spector | George Harrison (Lead Vocals) |
| 12 |
Get Back
#1
|
John LennonPaul McCartney | John LennonPaul McCartney | George MartinPhil Spector | Paul McCartney (Lead Vocals) |